In certain instances, fiber optic cables may be installed prior to a piece of equipment being put into service or brought on-line. The fiber optic cables may be installed because the piece of equipment requires a fiber optic connection or a future piece of equipment may be installed which requires a fiber optic connection. The piece of equipment may have one or more ports that require a small form factor pluggable (SFP) module which may provide an interface for connection of the fiber optic cable or cables to the port.
The fiber optic cables, with an appropriate termination connector thereon, may be plugged into a first end of the SFP module. A second end of the SFP module may be then inserted into the port of the piece of equipment. The SFP module has electrical connectors on its second end for plugging into the port. The SFP module serves as a transceiver between the piece of equipment (via the port) and the fiber optic cables.
SFP modules may be used because they can be easily interchanged. This ease of interchange may facilitate the upgrade and maintenance of fiber optic networks. Rather than replacing an entire circuit board containing several soldered-in modules, a single SFP module can be removed and replaced for either repair or upgrading, or a combination of both. This may result in substantial cost savings, both in maintenance and upgrading efforts.
The fiber optic cables may also have been terminated with appropriate connectors, such as an LC-type connector. The fiber optic cables may have been terminated with connectors since the connectors are required to plug the fiber optic cables into the SFP module. The fiber optic cables are also typically terminated to protect the fiber ends of the fiber optic cables.
The SFP module typically may have two ports on its front face for insertion of the connector on the fiber optic cable. One port may be for transmit and the other port may be for receive. The two ports may support full duplex operation. An LC connector cannot be plugged directly into a port on the equipment that is configured to accept an SFP module. It is appreciated that the SFP module may have other configurations of ports.
In some cases, the fiber optic cables may be run to the piece of equipment but not terminated with connectors. In that case, the connectors are installed prior to need to connect the fiber optic cables.
Fiber optic cables may have been run to support all of the ports on the equipment, including active, inactive, and anticipated ports. Running all the required fiber optic cables at one time, even though they may not all be required at that present time, may be more cost effective for the fiber optic service provider.
Some of the fiber optic cables may be terminated and connected to the equipment via the port with an SFP module.
There may also be fiber optic cables that may not be plugged into a port. The fiber optic cables may not be attached to the equipment right away for any number of reasons. The cables may not be attached because the various ports may not be ready for activation. Indeed, the activation of some or all of the ports may be delayed for various reasons, such as the piece of equipment is not fully operational. As a result, some of the fiber optic cables may not be connected to the piece of equipment. In some cases, the piece of equipment may not even be installed when the fiber optic cables are run. These unused fiber optic cables may need to be stored until they are required for use. As a result, the unused fiber optic cables may be coiled and hung from a hook near the equipment until the SFP module is available to insert into the port and connect the fiber optic cables thereon.
In some cases, the fiber optic cables may not be connected to the port on the piece of equipment because the SFP module or modules may not have been installed or purchased. Due to the potential expense of the SFP modules, they may not be purchased until they are required. Without the SFP module, the fiber optic cable may not be able to be connected to the port. The ports may therefore be left empty with no fiber optic cables connected thereon.
If not labeled properly, the fiber optic cables may become mixed up, such as a transmit cable and a receive cable being crossed. When a port is ready for activation and an SFP module is procured, an installer may have to conduct testing to determine the proper fiber optic cable or cables to connect to the port.
The unconnected fiber optic cables may be left on the floor or deck, wherein the cables may become a safety hazard since it may be possible for personnel to trip over them. Further, the fibers could become damaged if personnel step on them or equipment is placed upon them.
These and other embodiments and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating by way of example the principles of the various exemplary embodiments.